Micah Nalzaro, a 14-year-old from Vero Beach, Fla., and a tennis participant in the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation program, has been selected for a call-back try-out to potentially perform “America The Beautiful” at Arthur Ashe Stadium during the 2016 US Open tennis championships.
Nalzaro submitted a video of him singing “America The Beautiful” performed before the men’s semifinal matches in Vero Beach during April’s Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, a $10,000 “Futures” event on the U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit.
Nalzaro is one of a select number of contestants chosen from online submissions from children around the country for the in-person call-back audition June 28 in New York City. Winners selected from the call-back audition will perform “America the Beautiful” live during the night sessions at the 2016 US Open, which will be held Aug. 29 to Sept. 11.
“We are so proud of Micah, who is a terrific young man, an enthusiastic tennis player and a talented singer and performer,” said Tom Fish, chairman of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation and the father of Mardy Fish. “Our Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships is kind of like a mini-US Open for us in Vero Beach and it certainly would be amazing if Micah was able to turn his performance at our event into an opportunity to sing during the real US Open in New York.”
To view Nalzaro’s online submitted audition from the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, click here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XI_bb7h5d3w
The program is part of the USTA’s nationwide online casting as part of its 10th annual US Open anthem audition. For the second consecutive year, the audition age will be extended to children 14 years of age or younger to submit an online audition performance. Previously, the casting call was only open to those 12 and under. The USTA first launched an open casting call in 2006. All entries were reviewed by a panel of judges from the music and entertainment industry.
Nalzaro has appeared in Vero Beach stage performances since 2012, including his most recent role as the Prince in the Vero Beach Theatre Guild presentation of “The King and I” in 2016. He is currently a participant in the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Middle School Tennis League and also volunteers with the Foundation mentoring younger children. Micah and his father Edmund also participated in the foundation’s Team Fish Community Outreach program, where he volunteered to work in different philanthropic community events such as The Special Olympics. He also has served as a ball person at the USTA Pro Circuit event the last few years.
Founded in 2007, the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation (www.MardyFishFoundation.com and @MardyFishFound on Twitter) is a non-profit foundation benefitting children and named for Vero Beach native and former top-ranked American player Mardy Fish. The Foundation currently supports over 2,100 children in 15 elementary schools and six middle schools in Indian River County, Florida by providing after-school exercise, nutritional and enrichment programs in a safe environment to prepare them for healthy, productive and successful lives. The Foundation introduced the “Six Healthy Habits” in 2012 which are Get Sleep; Drink Water; Exercise Daily, Eat Healthy; Brush and Floss; Make Friends.” Mardy Fish completed his ATP professional tennis career at the 2015 U.S. Open, highlighted by a career-high ranking of No. 7, six ATP singles titles, eight ATP doubles titles and an Olympic silver medal in singles at the 2004 Olympics. He reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and was a mainstay on the U.S. Davis Cup team from 2002 to 2012.
The Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation recently completed its first year as the new operator of the $10,000 “Futures” tennis tournament in Vero Beach, one of the longest-running and best attended events on the USTA Pro Circuit. All proceeds from the event benefit the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation.
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